1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus management system, an apparatus management method and a computer readable information recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
An art has been known in which in an apparatus management system (also called a “remote apparatus management system”, a “remote apparatus monitoring system” or the like), an apparatus management configuration collects via a network, from apparatuses that are management targets, apparatus information concerning these apparatuses. There are various purposes to utilize such apparatus information. For example, an apparatus management center collects apparatus information concerning used amounts (for example, the number of printed sheets) of apparatuses (for example, multifunction peripherals (MFPs)) located at a customer side. The thus-collected apparatus information can be used as accounting information for the customer.
Further, from a maintenance viewpoint, the states of apparatuses at a customer side are monitored remotely, and apparatus information is collected concerning the states of the apparatuses. Then, if it is found from the collected apparatus information that the remaining amount of a consumable (for example, a toner or so) is insufficient, a maintenance staff can make an on-site arrangement to supplement the consumable. If a fault of the apparatus or a sign thereof has been detected from the collected apparatus information, a maintenance staff can deal with the fault on site or remotely.
Further, it is also possible to utilize apparatus information (data) for creating a customer report. An apparatus management center periodically creates, based on collected apparatus information, a report in which the working situation, the remaining amounts of the consumables, the fault status and so forth of the apparatus are summarized, and provides the report to the customer side. Further, because of recent raising of environmental awareness, in the report, not only simply collected data but also an index value(s) such as a CO2 used amount converted value, a tree converted value and/or the like derived from collected data, and/or the like, may appear.
Further, such a report may also be used by a sales staff for operating activities. For example, a sales staff analyses, based on such a report, the status of use or so of an apparatus(es) for each customer. Then, the sales staff may propose a more preferable improvement plan and/or a new product for the customer, and thus, the report can be used for sales promotion of product lines of the sales staff.
For example, Patent Reference No. 1 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-269293) describes an art concerning this point. Patent Reference No. 1 describes a customer apparatus information providing system and so forth. The customer apparatus information providing system provides information concerning an apparatus that is being used in accordance with the needs of the person who is using the apparatus to this person as is necessary in an appropriate manner. Also, this system modifies the information concerning the apparatus, provides the modified information to the person who utilizes the information and assists the person.
A case will now be considered where, for example, when a new apparatus has been brought into the market and/or a business operator starts to handle a new apparatus of another manufacturer, the business operator may carry out remote apparatus management also for an apparatus different from those that are the existing management targets. When the new apparatus is of the same apparatus type or the same type as that of those that are the existing management targets, the framework of the apparatus management system is used as is, to carry out remote apparatus management also for the new apparatus.
However, when the new apparatus is completely different or has a considerably different type from those that are the existing management targets, it may be difficult to carry out remote apparatus management for the new apparatus utilizing the framework of the existing apparatus management system. Thus, in such a case, since apparatus information periodically transmitted from the new apparatus may also be different from the apparatus of those that are the existing management targets, it may be necessary to implement an apparatus management system for managing the new apparatus on the side of the apparatus management configuration of the apparatus management center. In such a case, a certain amount of cost may be required until actually carrying out remote apparatus management of the new apparatus.